There’s no better way to welcome a new day than with a warm bowl of oatmeal—it is tasty and super healthy!
Here are not one but 7 reasons why oatmeal makes for a great breakfast food.
Nutritional Breakdown of Oats
Here are some important oatmeal nutrition facts that you must know:
Dietary Fiber: One of the most healthy aspects of oats is their high-fiber content. They are especially rich in one special type of fiber, called beta-glucan, which studies have linked with lower risk of high cholesterol. One serving of oats (1 cup of oats = 81 grams) offers you 8.2 grams of fiber, which is over 30 percent of daily recommended intake of fiber of women and over 20 percent of daily recommended intake of fiber for men.
Minerals: Oats are an excellent source of a range of minerals, such as:
- Magnesium – Helps maintain normal nerve and muscle function and a healthy immune system, important for bone and heart health.
- Zinc – Needed for the immune system to work properly, important for cell division and growth, assimilating carbs, and wound healing.
- Iron – Responsible for production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells.
- Manganese – Important for bone health and absorption of calcium.
- Phosphorus – Needed for healthy, strong bones and teeth.
- Copper – Plays a role in red blood cell formulation, helps keeps the nervous and immune systems and bones healthy.
Selenium – Important for good cell health.
Calories: A single serving of oats (equal to one cup) provides you with about 300 calories.
1. Oats Promote Satiety
Satiety plays a vital role in weight loss and weight management. Eating foods that keeps us full for a longer time leads to consumption of fewer calories daily.
In one study, researchers studied how 38 different foods (oats was one of them) affect satiety. Porridge (that is, cooked oatmeal) was ranked third from the top overall and first in foods eaten for breakfast.
The ability to oats to promote satiety is mainly because of its high water-soluble content, which increases stomach distention, aids the release of satiety hormones, and delays stomach emptying.
2. Oat Can Help Reduce Cholesterol
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the world. In the United States alone, about 61,000 people die of heart disease every year.
High cholesterol is a risk factor of heart disease. Excess cholesterol in the blood attaches itself to the walls of the arteries, making them narrower and in turn affecting the flow of the blood. Severely blocked arteries result in blocking of blood flow to the heart and consequently a heart attack.
More than one study has shown that oats, thanks to high beta-glucan content, are effective in reducing cholesterol and offering protection from health conditions resulting directly because of high cholesterol levels.
3. Oats Can Lower the Risk of Diabetes Type 2
Oats are a great source of magnesium, which is found to play an important role in production of over 300 enzymes, including those enzymes which regulate the use of glucose and secretion of insulin.
In an eight-year long study, researchers found participants eating magnesium-rich foods were at a lower risk to diabetes than those who didn’t eat magnesium-rich foods.
4. Oats Can Offer Protection Against Breast Cancer
In a study, researchers found that pre-menopausal women consuming more fiber from whole grains were at a significantly lower risk to breast cancer than women eating foods that were not rich in fiber.
The risk of breast cancer was about 50 percent lower in women consuming more than 30 grams of fiber daily in comparison to women eating less than 20 grams of fiber daily.
Further, it was found that fiber obtained from whole grains offered the best protection against breast cancer. Pre-menopausal women who ate a lot of whole grain fiber (13 grams or more every day) had a 41 percent lower risk of breast cancer than women who obtained only 4 gram or less fiber daily from whole grains.
5. Oats Can Enhance Immune Response to Infection
As the oatmeal nutrition facts chart shows, oats are a good source of beta-glucan, a special type of fiber. This fiber provides many health benefits, one of which is improving the response of the immune system to bacterial infection.
According to one study, beta-glucan can result in faster healing of a bacterial infection. Start your day with oatmeal, it not only improves your morning energy levels but also may boost your immune system.
6. Oats May Help Lower the Risk of Colorectal Cancer
Researchers in Europe pooled data, covering nearly 2 million people, to establish if the risk of colorectal cancer is lower in people eating a high fiber diet, a diet that includes high amounts of whole grains as well as cereals such as oats.
The researchers found that every additional 10 grams of fiber in diet lowered the risk to colorectal cancer by 10 percent. If not for the taste, eat oats for the health benefits they provide.
7. Oats (along with fish) May Protect Against Childhood Asthma
One study reveals that increasing the intake of whole grains (like oats) and fish can cut the risk to childhood asthma by half. In the study, researchers found children consuming a lot of whole grains and fish had significantly lower risk than those eating a diet lacking in both.
Adverse Effects
Oats are usually well tolerated, but they may be contaminated with gluten. Individuals who are sensitive to gluten should only consume “pure” and non-contaminated oats.
Rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, oats are super healthy and provide a host of health benefits, not to mention they also promote satiety and aid weight loss.